Kandeggina Gang / Sono Cattiva

Kandeggina Gang were one of the first all female punk rock bands in Italy, from Milan, known for their anti-establishment/anti-patriarchal anthems and throwing red-painted tampons into their audiences.

There’s little known on the band, mostly because the quartet only released one album before Jo Squillo slowly slinked over to pop music. Kandeggina (or bleach in Italian) Gang formed in 1979 while attending art school in Milan at Santa Marta- a hotbed and squat for early punk bands. Experimenting with British post-punk (read: Poly styrene especially) Italian label, Cramps, put out the 7″ “Sono Cattiva” before the women disbanded. But, not before leaving a lasting impression on the first days of Milano punk music however.